For the Greater Good
by SyrupylikeBreakfastinMontag
Summary: When Albus moved back to Godrick's Hollow to care for his two siblings, he thought his brilliance was going to be wasted.  Until he met a certain boy named Gellert Grindelwald that is. AD/GG GG/AD Albus/Gellert Gellert/Albus Contains slash.


For The Greater Good

Chapter 1: An Unexpected Meeting

*Author's Note: This story takes place back when Albus was 17 and his mother had just been slain by Ariana's outburst of magic, although it is narrated by an older Albus looking back on those events. I hope you enjoy it!*

I don't want to be telling this story. I would love to just put it out of my mind, to stick my fingers in my ears like a child and chant la la la and just block it out, but I can't. I must write down what happened, get it out in words so that I will never repeat my mistake again. And what a mistake it was.

It's amazing how even the smartest of people can be made stupid by love, and I definitely thought I was the smartest of people.

The first time I saw him was at my mother's funeral. It was an elegant affair, just the way my mother would have wanted it. She had always cared deeply about what other people thought. She was the kind of woman who always had her nose in other people's business, and consequently was sure that other people must have their noses in ours. So she was careful to make sure that our family seemed the picture of happiness. Even with our father long since dead in Azkaban. Even with my sister Ariana being too ill to leave the house. It really was quite a feat that she managed to pull it off.

The young man was standing politely next to our neighbor Bathilda Bagshot, who had been one of my mother's closest friends. She was a rather portly woman, with a round face currently streaked with dark lines where tears had caused her mascara to run. She looked a mess in comparison to the composed boy calmly consoling her by placing an arm around her plump shoulders. For some reason, I found myself unable to tear my eyes away from this boy. Perhaps it was the way his golden hair glinted in the sunlight, or his slightly parted cupid's bow lips. Perhaps it was just easier to focus on him than the fact that my mother was currently being lowered into the ground.

With my mother out of the picture, I was now the oldest in my family. It was my duty to look after my younger brother and ill sister. My life was being put on hold, maybe permanently, so that I could fulfill my duty to my family. It was easier to appreciate the boy's high cheekbones and chiseled jaw than to think about what was about to happen to me. What was already happening to me. My arms were wrapped around the shoulders of both of my teary eyed siblings. Already I was placing myself in the role of their caretaker. Already I was finding it not to my liking. I was only 17. I was too young to take care of two kids.

My sister sniffled and I leaned down, pulling a handkerchief out of my suit pocket and dabbing at her wet cheeks before holding it to her nose and ordering her to blow. Then she looked up at me with those big, sad eyes and I knew that I was trapped. How could I disappoint such a sweet child by leaving? I had to stay and take care of her. Someone had to. Even standing outside like this for just an hour was tiring her out. She wasn't good with being around large groups of people. I had to get her back up to bed, and soon.

My mother's body was in the ground now, and the priest was done with his long, monotonous speech. All that was left was to listen to the numerous condolences of our friends and neighbors. Ariana didn't need to be here for that. I looked up at my younger brother Aberforth, who was watching Ariana with the same nervous expression that was probably on my own face.

"Can you take Ariana up to the house and put her in bed? I can handle things here," I told him. He nodded, reaching down to scoop Ariana up in his arms. She should have been too old to be carried like that, but she was thin and light and it was all too easy to carry her.

"Aye," he said to me before turning his attention to the child wrapped in his arms, "Come on sweetie. Let's get you up to the house. You don't want to be here for all the boring adult talk." Ariana nodded, nestling into her brother's chest with a soft sigh and reaching up to wrap her pale arms around his neck. It looked a little absurd for a girl of 14 to be carried off by her brother, but he was quite strong for his age and she was frail and small. I watched them go with a pang. They were my responsibility now. Mine.

"Oh, you poor, poor dear!" cried someone from behind me and I turned to find myself caught up in the folds of Mrs. Bagshot's large embrace, "left all alone without anyone to look after you! It was so good of you to come back, though. Your poor brother and sister will be so glad to have you home. Your mother would have been so proud you chose to come look after them. Heaven only knows what would have happened to them if you didn't. No family in the world aside from you!" I gingerly patted the overexcited woman on the back, trying in vain to extricate myself from her tight hold.

"Family first," I managed to spit out before she was babbling again.

"And I'm sure you'll be able to return to your plans to travel when your brother is a little older and can handle things here in your absence. After all, it's not like the world will vanish in a couple of years. You'll always be able to resume your plans later."

"Yes, of course I will," I said, forcing myself to sound jovial. Oh yes, the world tour I was supposed to take with Elphias Doge. The one he was on right now. I tried to pretend it didn't hurt that he had left without me. After all, it really was the only practical thing to do, but it still stung. I didn't want to think about it.

"Oh dear, how rude of me!" Mrs. Bagshot suddenly exclaimed, releasing her hold on me, though keeping one hand firmly on my arm, "I haven't introduced you to little Gellert yet." She gestured towards the golden haired boy I had been admiring earlier, waving for him to come over.

"This is my dear nephew, Gellert Grindelwald. Gellert, this is my dear friend's son Albus," she said as the young man approached, extending a hand towards me and flashing me a charming smile.

"Pleased to meet you, Gellert," I said politely, taking his proffered hand and shaking it.

"The pleasure is mine," he replied, and there was something in his eyes, some playfulness, that made me return his smile. Something about the way he was looking at me made the smile feel almost conspiratorial, as though it were just me and him in the whole cemetery. It was intoxicating.

"Little Gellert here has come to stay with me for a while," continued Mrs. Bagshot, patting Gellert tenderly on the shoulder, "and I figured it would be good for him to have someone his own age like you, Albus, to hang around with. And you of course would be such a good influence on him."

"Would I?" I asked teasingly, still looking into Gellert's eyes as though we were sharing some private joke.

"Oh yes, dear. Of course you would. A young man dropping everything to look after his family the way you did? Gellert could learn a lot from you," declared Mrs. Bagshot, completely oblivious to the way us two boys were smirking at each other.

"I'm sure he could, ma'am," I murmured, and Gellert's smirk widened.

"Yes," he said with a wink, "I'm sure I could."

Already I was hooked.

-To Be Continued-

*Author's note: Well there you have it: chapter one. I'm looking forward to writing about Albus' increasing obsession and I hope you guys are looking forward to reading about it! Expect more soon. Also I should probably warn you this story is going to get graphic in later chapters, so expect some smut. Thank you and please review with any suggestions or feedback!*


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